List of Final Fantasy VII terms

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"SOLDIER" redirects here. For soldiers in general, see Soldier.

A list of major terms in Final Fantasy VII:

[Spoiler warningSpoiler warning]: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Ancients: An ancient nomadic people who called themselves the "Cetra." They were the first humans to live on the Planet. Their culture's goal was to seek out the Promised Land and offer respect to the Planet. As such, they cultivated the Planet's life energy and fought and defeated the alien Jenova.Aerith: "All I know is... The Cetra were born from the Planet, speak with the Planet, and unlock the Planet. And....... then...... The Cetra will return to the Promised Land. A land that promises supreme happiness."(Final Fantasy VII)Sephiroth: "This Planet originally belonged to the Cetra. Cetra was an itinerant race. They would migrate in, settle the Planet, then move on... At the end of their harsh, hard journey, they would find the Promised Land and supreme happiness."(Final Fantasy VII)Ifalna: "The one the Professor mistook for a Cetra... was named Jenova. That is the 'crisis from the sky'. The Planet knew it had to destroy the 'crisis from the sky'... You see, as long as Jenova exists, the Planet will never be able to fully heal itself." ... / Ifalna: "A small number of the surviving Cetra defeated Jenova, and confined it."(Final Fantasy VII) Some Ancients abandoned their close relationship with the Planet and became the ancestors of modern day humans.Sephiroth: "But, those that disliked the journey appeared. Those who stopped their migrations built shelters and elected to lead an easier life. They took that which the Cetra and the planet had made without giving one whit in return! Those are your ancestors."(Final Fantasy VII) Aerith Gainsborough is the last surviving Ancient.

AVALANCHE: A group of anti-Shin-Ra eco-terrorists whose second incarnation — based in Midgar — is comprised of the main characters of Final Fantasy VII. Main character Cloud Strife joined the group prior to the start of the game, and took part in their bombing of mako reactor no.1, an incident that inadvertently killed many civilians. Their headquarters was the basement of Tifa Lockhart's bar, 7th Heaven, located in the slums of Sector 7. Early in the game, members Biggs, Wedge and Jessie are killed and the headquarters destroyed. Other members join later.

Black Materia: The true form of the Temple of the Ancients, and the only materia utilized to cast Meteor, the Ultimate Destructive Magic. At one point, Cloud is forced to give it to the game's chief villain, Sephiroth, and though they recover the Black Materia after a long pursuit, Cloud once again hands the materia over to Sephiroth, who then uses it to cast Meteor.

Cetra: See Ancient.

Highwind: Cid Highwind's airship, taken from him by Shin-Ra after he designed it. It is eventually stolen by AVALANCHE.

Holy: The Ultimate White Magic, cast through the use of the White Materia. It is a very powerful spell, believed to be capable of destroying any threat to the Planet. What qualifies as a threat, however, is interpreted by the Planet itself, meaning that anything the Planet deems bad — even humans — could become a target of Holy.Bugenhagen: "Holy... the ultimate White Magic. Magic that might stand against

Meteor. Perhaps our last hope to save the planet from Meteor." ... / Bugenhagen: "Ho Ho Hoooo. Meteor, Weapon, everything will disappear. Perhaps, even ourselves." / Cloud: "Even us!?" / "It is up to the planet to decide. What is best for the planet. What is bad for the planet. All that is bad will disappear. That is all."(Final Fantasy VII) At the end of the game, Holy is unleashed to combat Meteor as it descends on the city of Midgar. However, due to the intense gravity being generated between the Planet and Meteor, Holy was being subverted and contributing to the threat at hand. In the end, the spirits of Aerith and several supporting cast members unify their wills in a last ditch effort to unite the Lifestream and hurl it into Meteor as a battering ram, giving Holy enough room to properly carry out its function.

Huge Materia: Highly refined and condensed mako that takes form within the hearts of mako reactors. Four of them appear in the game's story, each with its own color and properties. The Shin-Ra Company attempts to use them as weapons against Meteor, while Cloud and company intend to use them as weaponry against Sephiroth himself, leading to disputes and conflicts between the two groups, despite their mutual goal.

Keystone: The magical stone that unlocks the entrance to the Temple of the Ancients; Cloud earns it from the manager of the Gold Saucer, only for it to be stolen by Cait Sith and given to Tseng of the Turks. Tseng uses it to unlock the Temple, but is then injured by Sephiroth.

Knights of the Round: The most powerful Summon materia, which summons King Arthur and twelve of his knights. It can only be obtained in a specific Materia Cave by use of a rare Gold Chocobo.

Jenova: Discovered and named by Professor Gast, Jenova is a creature of extraterrestrial origin that nearly reduced the Cetra to extinction.

Lifestream: Comprised of a vast swell of ethereal green life energy called "Spirit Energy," the Lifestream is the spiritual essence of the Planet and the source of all living things upon it. In the game's world, when a new organism is conceived, some of the Lifestream's energy is gifted to that life form so that it may live. During an organism's lifetime, it grows and acquires memories from its experiences, such that when it dies, the Spirit Energy gifted to it returns to the Planet, taking with it the memories the life form accrued. In turn, these memories contribute to the cycle of life as a whole by becoming more Spirit Energy and allowing the Lifestream to grow.Bugenhagen: "'Spirit Energy' is a word that you should never forget. A new life... children are blessed with Spirit energy and are brought into the world. Then, the time comes when they die and once again return to the Planet..."(Final Fantasy VII) Because the Lifestream is responsible for creating all living things, when it is depleted, sections of the Planet's surface become barren. Mako reactors contribute to this by siphoning energy from the Lifestream and condensing it into a liquid substance called "Mako Energy," from which it can be converted into electrical energy or fuel. The Lifestream's energy can become mako via this artificial process or via a natural process of rising to the Planet's surface. However, when occurring naturally, it doesn't occur to such a great extent that it depletes the Planet's energy, as is the case when the process is expounded by the use of mako reactors. Materia, also, are a by-product of the Lifestream's energy, created when its condensed form, mako, crystalizes. Materia are small spheres of differing colors that provide their wielders with various magical abilities.

Mako: See Lifestream.

Mako poisoning: The ill effects — similar to those of a coma — that arise when one is in contact with the Lifestream's energy for an extended period of time. The cause is an overload of knowledge and memories in one's mind. Final Fantasy VII's main character, Cloud, suffered from this condition on two occasions.

Materia: See Lifestream.

Meteor: A magical spell cast with the Black Materia, it involves the manifestation of a large meteor that slowly makes its way toward a Planet, finally impacting and producing a deep, potentially fatal wound. Because the Lifestream's energy is used in healing wounds to the Planet, such a massive wound as would be produced by Meteor would result in the entirety of the Planet's spiritual essence being directed to the area. Sephiroth planned to take advantage of this by wounding the Planet with Meteor, entering the wound and then absorbing the Lifestream as it gathered, allowing him to become one with the Planet and control its lifecycle.Sephiroth: "...What would happen if there was an injury that threatened the very life of the Planet? Think how much energy would be gathered! Ha ha ha. And at the center of that injury, will be me. All that boundless energy will be mine. By merging with all the energy of the Planet, I will become a new life forn, a new existence. Melding with the Planet... I will cease to exist as I am now. Only to be reborn as a 'God' to rule over every soul." ... / Sephiroth: "Behold that mural. The Ultimate Destructive Magic... Meteor."(Final Fantasy VII)

Shin-Ra: The ruthless mega-corporation that owns Midgar, Junon, the Gold Saucer and rules the world with its monopoly on electrical energy. Shin-Ra uses its mako reactors to produce electricity, indifferent to the possibility that doing so could kill the Planet. Shin-Ra cements its rule with a mult-tiered military, the elite branch of which is known as "SOLDIER." Professors Gast and Hojo were scientists in its very advanced yet immoral Science Department. In particular, the research and theories of Professor Gast led to the approval of the Jenova Project, which resulted in the birth of Sephiroth. By the end of the game, Shin-Ra has suffered heavy losses and is left leaderless, all of its executives either dead, defected or temporarily incapacitated.

SOLDIER: Shin-Ra's elite military unit, itself divided into three ranks: 1st, 2nd and 3rd Class. Zack and Sephiroth are former 1st Class members. Members of SOLDIER are scouted by the company's Investigation Division of the General Affairs Department — alias, "the Turks." Those determined strong enough to mentally and physically handle the program's process of being infused with mako and injected with Jenova's cells receive the treatment, gaining powerful increases in their physical and cognitive ability.Cloud: "You see, someone in SOLDIER isn't simply exposed to Mako energy. Their bodies are actually injected with Jenova cells......"(Final Fantasy VII) As a side-effect of their mako-infusion, members of SOLDIER have a peculiar glow in their eyes; this phenomenon is called "mako eyes."Aerith: "...Your eyes. They have a strange glow..." / Cloud: "That's the sign of those who have been infused with Mako... A mark of SOLDIER."(Final Fantasy VII) Early in the game, Cloud claims to be a former 1st Class member of SOLDIER, though this is eventually revealed to have been a self-imposed delusion.

Tiny Bronco: Cid's airplane; after being damaged by Shin-Ra in an escape from Rocket Town, it can only be used for shallow nautical travel.

Turks: Alias of the Shin-Ra Company's Investigation Division of the General Affairs Department, their activities include scouting for members of SOLDIER, serving as bodyguards to company VIPs and various shady activities, including espionage, assassination and kidnapping.Cloud: "The Turks are an organization in Shinra. They scout for possible candidates for SOLDIER." ... / Cloud: "They're also involved in a lot of dirty stuff on the side. Spying, murder... you know."(Final Fantasy VII) Their members in Final Fantasy VII include Reno, Rude, Elena and Tseng. In the past, their membership included Vincent Valentine, Verdot and several other members, as featured in . The Turks maintain a grudging respect for the members of the second incarnation of AVALANCHE, and, near the game's end — dependent on the player having ensured that AVALANCHE and the Turks worked together to defeat Don Corneo in Wutai — the player is given the option of not fighting the Turks, where both parties go their own ways peacefully.

WEAPON: Biomechanical monsters produced by the Planet's Lifestream when it was threatened by Jenova some 2,000 years before the events of Final Fantasy VII. After some surviving Cetra confronted Jenova and defeated it, the WEAPONs were no longer needed and entered a deep slumber inside the Northern Crater, sealed within a large quantity of crystalized mako.Gast: Back then, Weapon was a weapon the Planet produced of its own

will?" / Ifalna: "Yes, but... There is no record of Weapon ever being used. A small number of the surviving Cetra defeated Jenova, and confined it. The Planet produced Weapon... But it was no longer necessary to use it."(Final Fantasy VII) When Sephiroth casts Meteor during Final Fantasy VII, the WEAPONs are once again released. There are seven WEAPONs in total, but only six of them appear in their true capacity in Final Fantasy VII. These are: Ruby WEAPON, Emerald WEAPON, Diamond WEAPON, Sapphire WEAPON, Ultimate WEAPON and Chaos (a form that Vincent transforms into via his Limit Break skills). Chaos (fully revealed in its true capacity) the seventh WEAPON, Omega WEAPON, appear in .

White Materia: The materia utilized to cast Holy, the Ultimate White Magic. Passed down through the Cetra's generations, it eventually comes into the possession of Aerith through her mother, Ifalna. Aerith initially believes it to have no function until the memories in the City of the Ancients instruct her in its use. Immediately after she successfully utilizes it to activate Holy, Aerith is murdered by Sephiroth.

List of Final Fantasy VII terms

References

See also